1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved heat pipe and, more particularly, pertains to a heat pipe with a more efficient means to remove unwanted hydrogen gas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of heat pipes is known in the prior art. Furthermore, heat pipes which employ hydrogen oxidation means are also known. The prior art discloses various heat pipes. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,628 to En-Jian et al. discloses a heat pipe with a hydrogen oxidation means, specifically a sintered mixture containing Cu and CuO. U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,890 to Shimodaira et al. discloses a heat pipe with a solid oxidizing agent. U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,561 to Franco discloses a low temperature heat pipe with a zirconium intermetallic alloy getter material. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,561 discloses a heat pipe with a residual gas collector vessel.
In this respect, the heat pipe according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of more efficiently removing hydrogen gas from the interior of the pipe.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a heat pipe which enables improved heat transference. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.